The Hidden One Stirs
by MasterFirebender84
Summary: Amon oneshot, takes place during the LoK premiere. Deep in the heart of Republic City, a masked man watches & waits, biding his time to bring about equality in Republic City. However, word reaches his ears of a new arrival to Republic City...the Avatar.


Greetings, fellow Avatards! :D In honor of the premiere of "The Legend of Korra", I wrote up this little oneshot of my new favorite villain...Amon. :3 I hope you all enjoy this, and be sure to review!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Legend of Korra" or any of the characters associated with it. I am merely a fanboy who is eagerly awaiting the return of one of the greatest shows ever created.

**The Hidden One Stirs**

The metal structure seemed to thrum with the dull echoes of progress and activity, the constant, distant vibrations of working machinery traveling up Amon's legs and settling into his spine, though the slight tingle he felt on his skin didn't bother him. From behind his signature, sinister mask, his piercingly golden eyes gazed out at the map of Republic City on the wall in front of him, hands folded behind his back as he contemplated the map, studied every little detail just like he did every single day, memorizing and recalling every single little detail of the Equalists' master plan of achieving equality in Republic City.

Behind him, the broadcaster on the radio was recounting the usual drivel: Probending matches; crimes that took place in the lower class districts of the city; celebrities and inventors such as Hiroshi Sato making appearances at exquisite dinners, funding public projects that were sure to improve the city and make it the utopia it was meant to be; advertisements for Satomobiles and other material possessions that the masses were sure to buy; and countless other things Amon paid little attention to but was always aware of, taking in all he could about the city he wished to make whole by the elimination of all bending kind.

The volume on the radio dropped down slightly, turned down by a knob as a rough, gruff voice said, "Amon, word from our street agents." The masked Equalist instantly recognized the voice, knowing it belonged to his second-in-command, The Lieutenant. He never used his second-in-command's real name, knowing it would show favoritism towards one of his many soldiers. He considered all of his Equalist brothers and sister equal in his eyes, and he showed it by treating them with the respect that their kind was due.

"I'm listening," simply said Amon, his steely voice giving the air an ominous ambiance, never removing his gaze from the map, fixated on the very thing he sought to control for his own, to make better for all those born without the sacred ability of bending.

"One of our propagandists was harassed by a newcomer to the city," informed The Lieutenant, keeping his finger on the radio knob in case he needed to shut off the useless babble of Shiro Shinobi, Republic City's Radio Broadcaster. "From what he's told me, the newcomer looks to be from one of the Water Tribes."

"How can you be sure?" questioned Amon, wanting to make absolutely sure he was getting all the necessary information in case he needed to make a profile on the newcomer. If they were a bender, he would assign resources to track them. If they were a nonbender, he would send out agents to try and sway the newcomer to his cause.

"She looked just like a Water Tribe native: tan skin, fur pelts, brown hair, blue clothes, everything," The Lieutenant replied, listing off the details to his leader. "She was also riding a Polar Bear-Dog."

That last bit of information caught Amon's attention. "A Polar Bear-Dog?" he echoed, narrowing his eyes in thoughtful concentration from behind his mask. "From what I've read about the Water Tribes, Polar Bear-Dogs have always been feared and hunted by the locals."

"This is probably the first one to have ever been tamed," guessed The Lieutenant as Amon's eyes returned to normal size. "She also seems to be a bender, if what the propagandist told me is true. When the newcomer was harassing him, she said that she was considering knocking him off of his platform with her Waterbending."

"Pity," Amon tsked, feigning disappointment. "If she were a nonbender, we could have made use of her and her Polar Bear-Dog."

"There's more," stated The Lieutenant, gaining Amon's attention. "Rumor's been going around since yesterday that the Avatar has arrived in Republic City."

"Impossible," dismissed Amon, not believing the rumor for even a microsecond. "The Avatar should still be down in the South Pole training in the four elements."

Just as The Lieutenant was about to reply, he heard the Broadcaster's voice suddenly break in: "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Shiro Shinobi here, coming to you live from Republic City's Central Broadcast Station with some breaking news!" Knowing Amon would want to hear any sort of breaking news, The Lieutenant turned up the volume. "In just a few moments, we'll take you down to a live press conference at City Hall where Councilman Tenzin has some astonishing news for our fair city: the _Avatar_ is in Republic City!"

The Lieutenant's eyes widened with shock behind his green-tinted goggles, looking over at Amon and stepping away from the radio as Shiro said, "That's right, folks! Avatar Korra of the Southern Water Tribe has finally found her way to Republic City to study under Councilman Tenzin in the art of Airbending. She hopes to complete her Avatar training during her stay here in the city, having already mastered the elements of Water, Earth, and Fire back home in the frigid South Pole. I tell ya, folks, I still remember the first time I heard about this new Avatar-"

Shiro abruptly cut himself off, as if someone was talking to him in the studio. After a few seconds of silence, Shiro's voice came back on. "Hold on, folks…it seems that they're ready for us over at City Hall. Here's our live broadcast of Republic City's newest arrival: Avatar Korra!"

There was an abrupt crackling noise as the radio signal was shifted, clearing up a few seconds later when the connection was established. "Hello?" hesitantly said a voice from the radio, distinctly feminine in nature but also slightly tomboyish. "I'm Korra…your _new_ Avatar."

As the crowd cheered over the radio, the journalists began to fire off their questions, battering the newcomer like a torrential rain:

"Does this mean you've moved to Republic City?"

"Were you _trying_ to send a message to the Triads yesterday?"

"Will you be fighting crime or the anti-bending revolution or both?"

"Will you be working with Chief Bei Fong and the police?"

The Avatar was a tad slow in her response, clearly overwhelmed by the unfamiliar situation she was currently in. "Uh…yes, I am definitely here to stay," she tentatively said, "but honestly, I- I don't exactly have a _plan_, yet. See, I'm still in training, but…" After a quick moment of composure, the Avatar said, "Look, all I know is Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world, and…I believe we can make his dream a reality." Amon dryly smirked to himself underneath his mask; this new Avatar was clearly naïve, unaware of what Republic City was truly like, of the horrors that lurked within its dark alleyways. "I look forward to serving you!" the Avatar joyfully exclaimed. "I'm so happy to be here! Thank you, Republic City!"

Just then, Councilman Tenzin's voice came out of the radio: "Alright, that's all the questions the Av-"

The Lieutenant stepped up to the radio and turned it off, knowing that Amon had heard more than enough. Looking towards his leader, The Lieutenant asked, "Amon, how do you wanna handle this?"

Amon was quiet for a brief moment, taking in everything that had just happened, making lightning-quick calculations in his sharp, tactile mind. "So…" he began in a musing tone, "the Avatar has arrived early." Looking over his shoulder as he turned around, he added, "It looks like we'll have to accelerate our plans."

"And what about the Avatar?" questioned The Lieutenant, knowing that the arrival of their most hated enemy would certainly be a challenge to their cause.

"Leave her to me," coldly replied Amon, his menacing voice slick and filled with assured confidence. "I want to personally give the Avatar a warm welcome to our beloved city."

The Lieutenant darkly smirked, clearly understanding Amon's intentions. "Understood, Amon," obliged The Lieutenant with a small bow before making his way towards the door, heading off to begin the first phase of their plan.

Amon looked back at the map of Republic City, softly saying to himself, "Soon, Avatar Korra…" Amon placed his right hand over Air Temple Island, spreading his fingers to encompass the whole sanctuary on the parchment, the last true solitude of the entire Air Nation and home of Avatar Aang…now the home of the _new_ Avatar. Sinisterly smiling to himself, Amon forebodingly said in a low, vile tone, "Soon you will fall before my power, and then you will truly know who you are dealing with." He clenched his hand over Air Temple Island, bearing his fist down on the home of his new foe.

Deep within the vast, endless confines of Amon's brilliant mind, the masked Equalist leader began to calculate his personal welcome of the Avatar to Republic City…and it would indeed be a warm welcome.

The warmest of welcomes that one could only give to their most hated of foes.

A welcome that the young Avatar would _never_ forget for as long as she lived.

* * *

For those of you reading my "The Promise: Part One" fic, I'm putting it on hold for now until Part 2 comes out so I have an idea of where the story is going. So make note: I'm merely putting it on hiatus for now, and it'll be updated sometime after Part 2 comes out. Thank you all for you patience. ^_^


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